1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a corn cob collecting apparatus and more particularly to a corn cob collecting apparatus which may be removably connected to the rear end of a combine and which includes means for separating the corn cobs from the husks, stalks, etc., and which further includes means for depositing the corn cobs in a collection vessel such as a wagon box or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
The harvesting and handling of corn has changed drastically over the past 40 years. Prior to the early 1960's, the common corn harvesting practice involved picking the ears of corn in the field, transporting this crop to a corn crib, and later shelling the corn off of the cob at a stationary sheller located on the farm. This harvesting procedure has been almost entirely replaced with in-field shelling by modern self-propelled combines. The combine combines the picking and shelling process into one machine, taking only the shelled corn from the field. The combine has made the handling, transportation, drying and storage of corn much more efficient by eliminating the need to transport and dry the cobs. Unfortunately, the combine sheller also eliminated the availability of cobs as a useful by-product of the corn harvest.
The corn cob is a useful product in itself. The need to dispose of the cobs after the shelling process encouraged research for uses of cobs, and many were found. Cobs are used in abrasive industrial polishing applications, as filler for feed, in biodegradable packaging material, as absorbing agents and also as de-greasers. Dry corn cobs also have a fuel value only slightly less than wood, and about one-half the heat content of coal on a per weight basis. In certain locations, the cobs are collected to extract a chemical solvent called furfural, which is used in numerous industrial processes, including the plastics industry.
This demand for cobs has created a need for a practical method of salvaging corn cobs from behind a combine. Once the cobs have fallen onto the ground behind the combine, they are difficult to recover.
Although many types of corn cob collection devices have been previously designed, it is believed by applicant that those devices have shortcomings. For example, a feed residue saver for combines is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,160. However, it appears that the feed residue saver described therein becomes much like a permanent part of the combine and cannot be readily removed or disengaged should the combine be required to harvest beans or the like. Further, other prior art devices have attempted to separate the cobs from the stalks, husks, etc., through the use of air, but it is not believed that those prior art devices have been efficient inasmuch as it is believed that the prior art devices were not able to efficiently separate the husks, stalks, etc., from the cobs.